1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parts list system for managing a part configuration of parts used for a product and the like, and a method of preparing an electronic parts list. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for automatically registering an attribute data of a figure generated using computer aided design (CAD) in an electronic parts list, and a method of preparing an electronic parts list.
2. Description of the Related Art
In designing an apparatus such as an automobile provided with a number of complex parts, the parts are managed by using a part table system. Here, the part table is the table to manage the configuration of a master part (a part constituting the automobile) and a slave (a part constituting the master part) with regard to any item, the number of the part, the data peculiar to the part such as a design change history of the part, the assembling unit in the product, the usage state and the like, for each part. Some of data in this part table are obtained from a figure of the part.
In a conventional part table system, an operator having knowledge with regard to a part table reads an attribute data (the data used in the part table) from a paper figure first, and then uses a dedicated terminal to carry out a process for registering the attribute data in the part table. For this method, a fact that a dedicated operator is necessary, a fact that the number of the dedicated operators is limited, a fact that many input steps are required to thereby take a long time to carry out the registering process, a fact that a possibility of an input miss occurrence is inevitable and other facts are pointed out.
As another registration processing method, there is an approach for noting, on a particular element of CAD (a Comment portion in CAD), an attribute data to be noted on a typical figure, and reading the attribute data in the Comment portion through software, and then registering the attribute data in a part table. In this method, an additional input work is performed on a region except a normal input region in the figure. This may result in the increase in the number of input steps, the inevitable possibility of an input miss, and the possibility of an erroneous interpretation of a data through the software, and the like.
As still another registration processing method, there is an approach for noting, in a file different from a CAD figure, an attribute data of a figure as an electronic data, and storing the attribute data together with the CAD figure, and then reading the annexed electronic data, and automatically registering in a part table. This method, since using the additional data, has the possibilities of an inevitable occurrence of an input miss, an erroneous interpretation of a data through the software, the necessity of a system of a management step number of annexed data, and the like.
A technique is required which can carry out a process for registering the attribute data of the figure in the part table by reducing as much as possible the additional work except the preparation of the CAD figure. A technique is desired which can precisely modify and render uniform the elements in relation to the figure data on the CAD data. And, a technique is desired which can rewrite the figure data in the CAD data accurately and collectively.